Thermal-hydraulic simulation of helium expulsion from a cable-in-conduit conductor

The authors present simulation results for a quenching cable-in-conduit conductor (CICC) for application in superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES). The details of the model and its computational implementation (the code HEDUMP) are discussed. An extensive verification process shows that HEDUMP can accurately model a quenching CICC. Preliminary results of the simulation are given and discussed. In particular, the normal zone propagation is studied. It is shown that CICCs exhibit a thermohydraulic quench-back behavior whereby superconducting regions ahead of the normals front are suddenly driven normal by frictional dissipation and/or compression heating of the fluid